1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print server for transmitting a printing job sent from a client connected to a network to an image output apparatus, a printing control method for the print server, an image forming apparatus which use is restricted by confidential data, an image forming method therefor, an image forming system comprised of the above, and a storage medium for storing a control program for controlling the image forming system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some copying machines have a confidential-code-number mode function in which copying is allowed only when a confidential code number input from an operation panel matches the confidential code number registered in advance. With such a confidential-code-number mode function, copying can be disabled for those who are not registered.
In addition, the number of actually copied sheets can be counted for each confidential code number. By this counted number, the number of copies the user has made for each confidential code number is obtained and can be used for imposing the use fee of the copying machine.
Recent versatile digital office machines connected to a network can be used as printers. To allow copies to be made in a confidential-code-number mode function as in copying machines or to allow the number of copies to be counted for each confidential code number in the versatile digital office machines, it is necessary for the user to go to a place where a versatile digital office machine is installed and input a confidential code number at an operation section of the versatile digital office machine to release a confidential-code-number input state. It is possible that a confidential code number is included in printing data and an output apparatus analyzes the code number according to the data to perform the same procedure as that implemented by inputting the code number at an operation section. In this case, however, the user needs to specify different confidential code numbers for a plurality of output apparatuses. If the output apparatus used is changed, the confidential code number needs to be specified again, which is troublesome for the user.
Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide an image forming method, an image forming system, and a storage medium storing a control program which allow printing to be instructed without inserting confidential data for a printing apparatus into a job.
A second object is to provide an image forming method, an image forming system, and a storage medium storing a control program which allow counting management to be smoothly controlled in the image forming system of the present invention described above.
One of the foregoing objects is achieved in one aspect of the present invention through the provision of a print server including: management means for managing identification data for identifying each user; determination means for determining whether the management means manages identification data for identifying a client, included in a printing job sent from the client; and embedding means for embedding confidential data required to use an image output apparatus in the printing job when the determination means determines that the management means manages the identification data included in the printing job.
One of the foregoing objects is achieved in another aspect of the present invention through the provision of an image forming apparatus for controlling an image output according to a printing job sent from a client, in which a print server embeds confidential data, including: determination means for determining whether the printing job received from the print server includes confidential data; image forming means for controlling image formation according to the printing job when the determination means determines that confidential data is embedded in the printing job; counting means for counting the number of discharged sheets correspondingly to the confidential data when a recording medium in which an image is formed and recorded is successfully discharged; and output means for outputting the count information corresponding to the confidential data, counted by the counting means to the print server.
One of the foregoing objects is achieved in yet another aspect of the present invention through the provision of an image forming system including an upper apparatus and an image forming apparatus communicating with the upper apparatus, the upper apparatus including: first storage means for storing an identifier for identifying each user; first comparison means for comparing the identifier included in a printing job sent from a client for identifying the client with identifiers stored in the first storage means to determine whether the identical identifier exists; conversion means for converting the identifier included in the printing job to confidential data unique to each user when the first comparison means determines that the identical identifier exists; and embedding means for embedding the confidential data obtained by converting by the conversion means in the printing job, and the image forming apparatus including: second storage means for storing confidential data unique to each user; second comparison means for comparing confidential data included in the printing job with the confidential data stored in the second storage means to determine whether the identical confidential data exists; and image forming means for forming an image only when the second comparison means determines that the identical confidential data exists.